July is Disability Pride Month! To celebrate, we’re sharing books and resources that discuss, represent, and uplift the rich lives of disabled people in sports, the arts, and beyond.
Remember—it’s important to recognize and amplify the important contributions the disabled community has made (and continue to make) to our world not just this month, but every month!
Book Recommendations
by Anita Sanchez and George Steele, illustrated by Emily Mendoza
"Ideal for any educator teaching listening skills or the science of birding, this book is also an inclusive tool perfect for a variety of content connections, including science and ELA." —School Library Journal
by Patty Cisneros Prevo, illustrated by Dion MBD
CALIFORNIA READING ASSOCIATION EUREKA! NONFICTION CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD HONOR
⭐ "This upbeat offering promises profiles of 15 disabled athletes but delivers even more. . . Readers will come away with an enhanced understanding of the scope of adaptive sports (BMX, surfing, CrossFit) and great respect for these dedicated, tenacious athletes." —Booklist
written and illustrated by Steve Asbell
INTERNATIONAL LITERACY ASSOCIATION NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY
"This is truly a celebration of neurodiversity that goes against decades—perhaps centuries—of stigma and tells kids that stimming isn't just OK; it's liberating. A beautiful book with an important message for autistic children and those who know them." —Kirkus Reviews
by Sally J. Pla, illustrated by Ken Min
COOPERATIVE CHILDREN'S BOOK CENTER (CCBC) CHOICES
⭐"Pla's story of sibling love makes Benji's autism known without ever making it the focus; Benji is about bad days, empathy and familial relationships. This tale came from Pla's own life, in which her 'autistic and non-autistic sons… had fuzzy blankets' and often asked to be 'wrapped tight into burritos' with them. . . Wholly heartwarming." —Shelf Awareness, starred review
by Sharon Bell Mathis, illustrated by George Ford
CORETTA SCOTT KING AUTHOR AWARD AND ILLUSTRATOR AWARD WINNER
"Winner of both the Coretta Scott King Author Award and the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award, Ray Charles by Sharon Bell Mathis, illus. by George Ford, originally published in 1973, traces the star's surmounting of incredible obstacles to become one of the world's greatest jazz musicians. Ford's illustrations capture every emotional nuance, from Ray's disappointment at being tricked by classmates as a child, to his strength as a man, refusing to perform to segregated audiences." —Publishers Weekly
by Bill Wise, illustrated by Adam Gustavson
COOPERATIVE CHILDREN'S BOOK CENTER (CCBC) CHOICES
"Employing rich descriptive language with just the right combination of drama and information, Wise emphasizes Hoy’s steadfastness and determination in his baseball exploits and in every endeavor before and after his career. . . Fascinating." —Kirkus Reviews
by Rukhsana Khan, illustrated by Christiane Krömer
SOUTH ASIA BOOK AWARD HIGHLY COMMENDED TITLE
⭐"Krömer's inventive compositions are a visually exciting match for Khan's introduction to an appealing event. This story soars." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
by Juan Felipe Herrera, illustrated by Ernesto Cuevas, Jr.
"Cuevas’s paintings are full-spread and boldly colored, combining realism with cartoon-style simplicity; their broad washes and fuzzy edges reveal the texture of the paper on which they were created. Both Spanish and English texts are direct, inviting, and expressive." —Kirkus Reviews
written and illustrated by Maria Diaz Strom
"A blind musician shows a child new ways of creating colors in this exuberant debut. . . The radiant blues and browns and oranges [Diaz Strom] has chosen fire her simply composed urban scenes with joie de vivre. Heighten budding painters’ awareness of the possibilities of color with this chromatic symphony." —Booklist
written and illustrated by Lynne Barasch
NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR THE SOCIAL STUDIES NOTABLE SOCIAL STUDIES TRADE BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
⭐"This inspiring biography of Clayton 'Peg Leg' Bates, who lost his left leg in a cottonseed mill accident in 1919 at the age of 12, chronicles the man's amazing life from his days as the son of a sharecropper in South Carolina to his rise to fame as a tap dancer . . . Barasch's watercolor-and-ink cartoon paintings capture the poverty of the dancer's early life, the adulation of his fans, and his joyous love of dancing." —School Library Journal, starred review
by Lulu Delacre and Katharine Swanson
"Books like this can generate even more ideas to share narrative, symbol, learning, and fun with all children. By doing so, adults are helping children make sense of the world around them as they learn to decode it." —Reading Rockets
Educational Resources
Learn About Which Terms to Use When Discussing Disability
